Egypt’s digital activism and the Dictator’s Dilemma: An evaluation

In recent years academics have used the term Dictator’s Dilemma to describe the impact of the Internet on undemocratic societies. The Dilemma says that if dictatorial rulers permit increased Internet penetration, they risk overthrow; if they do not, they isolate themselves from the global information economy, causing economic decline. Since Internet penetration world-wide has deepened, the Dilemma implies that dictatorships are bound to fall one by one. But how good is the Dilemma as an analytical device? Not very, this essay argues, using the Egyptian uprising of January 2011 as a case study. By examining the state’s Internet politics before 2011, the use of the Internet by Egyptian resistance activists, and the power relations that existed after the overthrow of the Dictator, this essay argues that the Dictator’s Dilemma blinds scholars to what really happens on the ground.

► We apply the Dictator’s Dilemma to the case of Egypt. ► We examine how revolutionary actors in Egypt have used social media to bring down the authoritarian government. ► We show that the outcome of these actors’ struggle remains uncertain. ► The Dictator’s Dilemma obfuscates revolutionary politics in authoritarian settings.